Review: Dirty Little Lies
Filled with heartbreak, secrets, angsty - moving and memorable #bookreview Dirty Little Lies by Lora Leigh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Betrayals, bitter resentment, covet operations and a woman who can hold her own, this story contains it all. In the latest in the Men of Summer, Grace Maddox is front and center. As the quiet and meek assistant to the head of the Maddox family, her beloved uncle, Grace is more than meets the eye. She has been trained to be blend in and stay out of the lime light. What most people do not understand, is that she is able to defend herself through training required by her uncle. All of this protection is unable to keep her from emotional harm and damage. This book really broke my heart when I read how Grace is treated.
From a character perspective, this one is more layered than recent Ms. Leigh books as Grace is shown from a young girl to a mature adult. The backstory for Grace makes her more robust and relate-able. The hidden secrets kept from her, are for her "own good", yet they do so much damage. She is surrounded by petty juvenile asshats who could care less about her. They say they love her yet their actions say otherwise, loudly otherwise.
This plot driven book lays the path to Grace's destruction so well. It is clear to see a train wreck waiting to happen. The pit of my stomach is knotted up as I dread the big reveals and showdowns. The responses elicited from Grace is what causes me to feel deep sorrow for her. She does not rail. She does not throw a tantrum. Instead, it is clear how deeply they have cut her. Whilst most emotional trauma is rarely evident on the outside, Ms. Leigh describes it so well, it is easy to see as Grace's heart is mangled and left for all to see. This story invoked a lot of emotion for me which makes me really enjoy it. Perhaps I enjoy these angsty books because I am a masochist. I do enjoy it more when the main character isn't a too stupid to live female. Instead, she is one who is caring and all the things considered good in a person. To see such a caring person be treated so poorly just goes to show how cruel humans can be. And it provides ample evidence that humans are worthless. Since this fits into my narrative that I see the flaws in people more than the positives, it works for me. Even Zack, he is worthless to me. He does not help Grace any more than her family. It is amazing to me that Grace is a functioning adult who rises above those who seek to bring her down. I loved Grace in this story and wish she would have told them all to go to hell and make her own way. She doesn't need any of them. She deserves better.
This story does conclude rather quickly with the reasons for the sabotage. This feels a little to rush which seems to occur more oft than not in a Ms. Leigh story. Still, it does answer many questions and I hope there will be more in this series. For those who enjoy the Naughty series, this one is similar, just darker. This book can be read as a standalone but much better when read in order. I loved this book and recommend it to erotic romance readers who enjoy strong women who can shake it all off and move on.
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